Applying Psychological Science, Benefiting Society
The struggle to protect Black girls and women remains. Unfortunately, Black women remain vulnerable to sexual violence due to what we call intersectionality, the systematic oppression Black women experience based upon their race and gender. Here is what you can do to help.
Did you know that an estimated 15% of men and 30% of women entering the criminal justice system have a serious mental health condition? With more than 2 million people arrested annually, America’s jails and prisons have become the nation’s default mental health care provider.
Native American people are often overlooked, considered extinct, romanticized, forgotten, ignored and bear the burden of negative stereotypes. Belonging to a socially invisible community has consequences beyond being misunderstood and stereotyped. It can lead to much more dire outcomes – specifically, the public disregard of the epidemic of violence against Native American women and girls reflects passive cultural genocide.
The midterm elections are over, and we all know that voting is a vital means to make our voices heard. But it’s not the only way. Psychologists have the expertise, skills, and opportunity to engage in needed and productive advocacy to advance the issues that are important to us, both locally and nationally.
This advocacy includes meeting with elected representatives to express concerns and support for initiatives. Meeting with your representatives may seem like a daunting and intimidating task if you’ve never done it before, but APA offers useful online advocacy training, tools, and a variety of resources to help you prepare for your meetings
By Meghann Galloway, PhD & Laura Knudtson, PhD (2017-2018 APA Congressional Fellows) Pinch me… is this a dream? Am I really here? Did I actually just ride the elevator with Bernie Sanders? Was Lisa Murkowski ahead of me in line for coffee? The novelty of working as an APA Congressional Fellow in the United States […]
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for Black males between ages 20 and 24 is more than double the national average for this age group (14.3% vs. 7.1%). The APA report on “Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic and Sexual Minority Boys & Men” prompted a deeper focus on how these employment disparities lead to adverse health impacts, specifically amongst Black millennial men. An APA fact sheet examines this narrowed topic.
The profound implications of climate change present a grave global crisis that justifies urgent action by all Community Psychologists, organizations, and citizens concerned about climate change.
The House of Representatives has introduced HR 620, a piece of legislation that will undermine the vital protections within the Americans with Disabilities Act. Urge your Members of Congress to not support this bill.
Alarmingly, maternal mortality rates for women living in the U.S. are the highest in the developed world with stark racial disparities. Black women specifically have the highest maternal mortality rate in the U.S. and are nearly four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes compared to White women.
While many points of intervention exist, given our national elected leaders’ incapacity, or refusal, to work together, intervention at state level has immediate prospect of success. Real progress has already been achieved by some states to impose “red flag” laws that allow suspending rights to gun ownership where a significant risk to self or others is shown.
Psychology Benefits Society 